Forever Fade Away
by ficcychick
Summary: Sarah's refusal of Jareth has left his power diminished and his kingdom threatened by a former prisoner of the oubliettes. Jareth returns to Sarah to humbly ask for her help. Jareth/Sarah, some Sarah/OC. Rated T for some mild language.
1. A Message

**Obligatory Disclaimer: I don't own these characters (except for one in later chapters), I just like to play with them.**

_Anyone from the Labyrinth Fan-Fic list might have read some of this before (about six years ago). I wanted to bring it out of retirement and finish it. Enjoy!_

"You have no power over me!" Sarah jerked awake from her nightmare, the same one that had been haunting her since she had rescued her brother Toby from the Goblin King. Her heart was beating quickly, her breath coming in shallow gasps, and her sheets were drenched in sweat. Turning on her bedside lamp, she stared at the hollow place in her wall where Lancelot had lived before she gave him to Toby.

Toby took Lance everywhere now, even though he was nearly four. Things had improved greatly between the two of them since they had gone to the Underground, but Sarah still had difficulties warming up to her stepmother. The woman was insistent that she find a boyfriend, but she didn't know that Sarah could never love a mortal boy, no matter how much she tried. There could be only one man in her life, and he was far away.

"But I am with you always," a voice whispered, and Sarah realized it was hers, voicing the words she heard in her sleep. She had no proof that he was there, but she felt it inside. Everywhere she went, everything she did, he was there somehow, though she saw no physical signs. "The dreams have to mean something," she said to herself, rolling onto her side to look out the window at the pending sunrise.

Sarah still had no friends her age, or even any age, but now it was by choice. Everyone she talked to, everyone she met--no one was as complex and exciting as Jareth. She was content to remain friends with Hoggle, Ludo, and the others, but their visits grew less and less frequent. Hoggle had said something about separation, but Sarah couldn't understand what he meant, except that it was getting harder and harder for them to come to see her.

As the darkness lightened around her, Sarah slowly sank back to sleep, her dreams again unsettling, full of visions of Jareth and the Underground slipping away.

"No date tonight?" her stepmother asked as she prepared to leave. Sarah was reading, and she remained silent, eating a bowl of popcorn. "Do you even talk to anyone, Sarah? I swear--you're going to college in two months. It might behoove you to have a little social experience, or are you going to lock yourself away in your dorm room, too?"

"It's really none of your business," Sarah replied, trying to avoid a fight, and luckily her father returned from taking Toby to the babysitter's just in time.

"Are you ready, dear?" he asked, grabbing his wife around the waist. Shaking her head at Sarah, she said yes. "Don't wait up," her father called as they walked out the door.

"Finally!" Sarah said, exasperated. She finished the popcorn and decided to read upstairs, where she could lay in bed and listen to music as loudly as she wanted, now that the Wicked Witch was gone.

Climbing the stairs two at a time, humming a song never heard in the mortal world, Sarah again let her thoughts drift to Jareth. If only circumstances had been different--if only she had said "take me away" instead of "take you away"-- but would things be worse if she had? She had tried saying the words again, with no results, which only added to her sorrow. Her life was based on ifs, and it was driving Sarah mad. "If only he would come," she said as she entered her room.

Nearing her bed, she gasped. It was dusted with glitter, and on her pillow was a silver envelope. Had he been here? Why did he not wait to see her? It was no matter for him to make her parents forget, or even disappear. Why had he not spoken to her? "The only way to find out is inside that envelope," she said, her voice barely audible over the fierce beating of her heart. Tearing it open, she took the letter out and read it aloud:

"Dearest Sarah-- "Do not think that I have forgotten you. No, I could never forget the only thing I could never possess. It is true that I am with you always--I watch you constantly from afar. I am too afraid to come near--I dare not try to impose myself upon you again. I realize that love and power are two different things, and neither has a place with the other. I asked too great a price for what I was willing to give freely, but I had to say it--I had to control you to keep my place.

"I am risking my life to bring you this letter. I dare not stay to speak to you for fear that I would not be able to return to my world. Since you left me, our worlds have been drifting apart. If you wonder why your friends don't visit as often, it is because the way to your world keeps shifting, changing--our portal is diminishing, and very soon, we may not be able to cross over at all.

"There is a new power gaining control over the Underground--it grows ever closer to my kingdom, and I am powerless to stop it--unless I have you. With you by my side, dear Sarah, we could defeat the evil which grows and our worlds will again mirror one another. If you do not help me, you will never see your friends--or me--again. I hope that this is enough incentive for you to help, but if not, then perhaps a place at my side as ruler would entice you. We would be equals, however, and you would be free to come and go as you pleased. I would have. no power over you. If you will help me, please go to the fountain in the park where I first saw you, and I will help you through. Please do not let your stubbornness keep you from the aid of your friends. Without you, they, like I, will surely be lost forever. "

The letter was simply signed 'Jareth'.

Sarah's mind began to race. He still cared for her--he was with her always--he could be watching her now. What could be happening--who could be taking over the Underground and making it disappear? What if she and Jareth failed? She would be lost in the Underground forever, a different, darker Underground, and Jareth would most likely be killed. But of course, she had to try. Her friends--and Jareth--were too important to her to just let them disappear forever into darkness.

After a moment's hesitation, Sarah left a note full of lies (last-minute date called) on the coffee table and ran off into the night to meet her destiny. She only hoped it wouldn't be the end of her.


	2. A Meeting

Sarah had been waiting at the fountain for what seemed like a few hours now. She was growing tired and cold, and was wondering if Jareth could get through to her. What if the portal was already closed? She was entertaining all kinds of horrible possibilities when suddenly, in a flash of glitter and starlight, he stood before her. He looked a bit older than he had the last time they had met, more than the two years that had passed. He still held his head high, but Sarah could see that the power that was once behind his nobility was gone. Now he seemed a hollow imitation, a king in name only.

"You've changed," he finally said, taking her in. His eyes roamed over her body, which had finally rid itself of the last shred of evidence that she had once been a child. She wore her hair down now, a bit shorter, yet still framing her face, the barrette long since packed away with the scrapbook of her mother's life. Her eyes flashed fire, and he could feel them burning his soul as she stared at him.

"You've changed too, Jareth," she replied, not intending to be as cold as she sounded. His face was lined, but gracefully, and there was a void in his eyes that she had never seen before. He looked defeated, more so than he had when she made her statement of defiance, and it scared her. She hadn't thought that he would be this bad, never in her wildest dreams. She had continued to picture him as perfect as he had been, never thinking that she had done him real harm, or that something else could hurt him. "

Things have not been easy since you left me, Sarah," he said, and his face darkened.

"You knew I couldn't stay, Jareth," she countered. Not even if I had wanted to, she added silently. "Toby didn't belong there--my parents would have been devastated."

"I do not wish to relive the past, Sarah--only to save the future. What's done is done, you know that." He looked sad, and his mouth drew up into a mirthless grin. "Nothing we say now can change what happened then, and I am far too tired for illusions." She only nodded, unsure of what to say. Sensing her hesitancy, he changed the subject.

"Before I take you with me, you understand what may happen, don't you? You realize that if we are defeated, you may be trapped in the Underground forever, never to see your family again." He gripped her shoulders, and the lace of his cuffs brushed her neck, making her shiver.

"Yes, Jareth. I am prepared to take that chance." Like anyone would miss me.

"I will not take you if you aren't sure, Sarah. Swear to me."

"I swear. I'll swear on anything you deem necessary. I want to go--I need to go. Hoggle and the others need me."

"Never turn your back on a friend, would you, Sarah?" Jareth said, wanting to sneer, but unable to, he took his hands away from her shoulders.

"No one is so rich as to throw away a friend," she said softly, still feeling his touch.

Everything around her changed, and just as suddenly as she had been taken to the beginning of the Labyrinth the first time she went to the Underground, they were in Jareth's castle, overlooking the Goblin City, the Labyrinth, and lands beyond. Everything had changed--a great shadow lay over the land. The Labyrinth grew ever darker, and Sarah could feel the change in the air. It very nearly took her breath away.

"What is happening, Jareth? What has caused this change?" She turned to face him, and he sat there, his eyes closed, a grave expression on his face. "Jareth. Answer me." Finally he looked up at her.

"It was you."

"What do you mean it was me? Stop being so elusive and tell me." She walked over and knelt before him. "Please."

"When you left me, Sarah, when you said those words, there was a great shift of power. It wasn't just you breaking my hold over you, or over Toby. I lost everything when you spoke those words." He laughed bitterly and gestured around. "Have you not noticed there is no one here? Or how shabby the place has become? Or were you too blinded by memories and illusions that you couldn't see reality? The Goblins are a free people now, Sarah, or they were. Many of them have died without my care and supervision-"

"Care and supervision? Are you mad? You never treated them with anything but loathing--you commanded their every move!" She grew indignant, practically screaming at him.

"What I gave them, my dear girl, was what they needed. They are too inept to care for themselves, and now their numbers have decreased greatly. Those who have survived now serve my enemy, and they do not care that I was far kinder than he. They only care that they have food to fill their bellies and shelter to cover their thick little heads."

"Who is this enemy you speak of?" she asked, still angry, but curious.

"When my power ceased, all my spells, everything was broken. The oubliettes opened, and the prisoners were freed. Many of them were rightfully freed, and in fact, I had forgotten they were even in there--"

"But that's why they're there--they're where you put people to forget about them," Sarah interrupted, using what Hoggle had said years ago to mock him. His nostrils flared, but he let the comment go.

"However, there was one prisoner, one man, who should never have been freed. He came to the Labyrinth long ago, having said the magic words, as you did, but with evil intentions. He came here to overthrow my throne and take my place as ruler of the Goblin City."

"How could he? He was just a man--"

"A very powerful, intelligent, and wily man, who was skilled in dark magic, Sarah, and I was only just able to defeat him the first time ," he said, standing and walking to the window.

"But why did he want to overthrow your kingdom? What use are a bunch of goblins?" She was confused, and quite honestly, unbelieving as he turned to face her.

"Do you think you are the only person to ever have come here, Sarah? Do you realize how many people have wanted me to take them, wishing to escape their reality? There are at least two or three people, just like you, who come here in one week, or used to before." he trailed off. "No one but you.and he. ever made it to the Goblin City. This throne isn't just about ruling a bunch of goblins, Sarah. It's about having absolute power, over the labyrinth and all within, and over people like you." His eyes flamed with fury, and he ran a hand through his spiked blond hair.

"Why is the portal shifting, then? I don't understand how the two go together-- this isn't making any sense."

"The struggle for power is so great that it is throwing everything off-balance. As he gains closer and closer, everything gets shifted more and more, and eventually will close altogether until a definite power has been established again. My magic and power, what little is left of both, is what has kept it open this long. If he gains absolute power, he will deem who can travel to and from your world, and I honestly believe that he will imprison or kill anyone who resists."

She stood, trembling. "Why should I help you? You held people prisoner, you kept them from their families. Why should I put you back in power?"

He walked over to her, and looked into her eyes. "Because anything I ever did is nothing compared to what he will do. If he rules this land, Sarah, and people come here looking for escape, believe me that they will find only pain. Destruction. Hell. Death. He will not give them a chance. And I swear to you, your friends will die."

Sarah took a deep, ragged breath, and set her jaw. "What can I do?"


	3. A Bargain

It had been a while since Jareth had left Sarah alone. He had gone to spy on Cormac, the man who would be King. She wandered the rooms of the castle, cold, broken, decaying. Had she really been responsible for what had come? Strange to think that a whole world hinged on her, when in reality she was nothing. No one. "What is reality?" Jareth's voice echoed in her head. This world was as real and tangible as her own. What is reality, indeed.

She had asked him what she could do to help, and she hadn't liked the answer.

"I want you to go to him, Sarah. I want you to be his slave, to do his bidding. I want him to have complete and utter confidence in you, and together we will break him."

She was to be a pawn in Jareth's game once again, it seemed, but there was no way out. A face-to-face battle would surely kill Jareth, but if she could help him destroy Cormac from within, they could hope to succeed. It would be dangerous, especially moving between the two of them with all the eyes that could watch her, but it was necessary. If that weren't enough, she had to enlist her friends to help as well. They were all to be inside informants. Sarah couldn't see Hoggle agreeing to it, but Jareth told her she had to try. He could only get as close as the edge of Cormac's domain. She could get closer.

Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus would need to take positions in his growing army and get information from Cormac's followers for Jareth. The army was terrorizing the Labyrinth, bringing followers to the dark side through brute force. They were simply to gain the domination over the creatures of the Underground--Cormac was to face Jareth himself.

Sarah wandered into another room, the only one that hadn't fallen into complete disarray, and her mouth fell open. There were paintings and sketches of her all around the room, sketches of her from her time In the Labyrinth, of her in the park, and of her at home, in her room, sleeping. She felt almost intruded upon, but at the same time she felt a flush of heat and feeling that she had never known before. It was all so beautiful, so pure and so unlike what she knew of Jareth.

Walking closer, she saw one that intrigued her even more. It was a painting of herself and Jareth in the ballroom she had found herself in after eating the tainted peach. He had enchanted it somehow, and the scene was playing itself over and over like a movie. She watched herself wander through the crowd, searching for him, longing, and finally she found him. He looked so sure of himself, and so happy. They danced and danced, masked people all around them laughing, why were they laughing? She broke away and ran from his arms, ran to who knows where, and he stood there, his face full of defeat, as it was now. She reached out to caress his cheek when she heard him behind her.

"I had hoped you wouldn't come in here, Sarah." He wasn't angry, but he looked upset. "It's very humbling for me to let you see this."

"I like them," she said, wanting to say more, but holding back. Instead, she changed the subject. "What did you see?"

"He was nowhere to be seen, but I found that he has infiltrated beyond the door guards above the oubliettes. There is a stillness there that was never present before. Everything is so dark, and so quiet--the air is full of fear. The guards were destroyed. They must have resisted, and he finished them off." Sarah's hand flew to her mouth.

"There is no time for sadness, Sarah. We must go to Hoggle and the others, and you must convince them of what they have to do."

"It won't be simple, Jareth. You know that Hoggle is easily terrified--I am not sure he will do it."

"You may find things much changed since Cormac's reign of terror has begun," he said. "He may have found bravery he never knew he had. If you recall, he was not too terrified to help you defeat me." Jareth's voice was bitter again--and Sarah could not blame him. She had at last seen the truth.

Jareth had shown Sarah how to get to her friends. All she had to do was hold the crystal ball he had given her and picture them in her mind, and the ball would do the rest. It operated like a portal, and she could go anywhere she wanted as long as she could see them in her mind.

"I can't go with you, Sarah. I would attract too much attention, and Cormac would be sure to come thundering down upon us. All I ask is that you are careful, and that you are quick. Time is essential, and the longer you take, the closer he gets. Remember that." He had walked away, locking himself in the portrait room.

Trying desperately to picture the goblinesque face of Hoggle instead of Jareth, Sarah wished herself away from the castle. She found herself near the Bog of Eternal Stench, where someone had built a little hut. She could only assume that it was Hoggle. She knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Wondering if she had made a mistake, she was about to try again when she heard his voice behind the hut. "Damned faeries!" Walking around to the back, she saw him, spraying the faeries that lingered around his garden. She knew better than to stop him this time.

"Hoggle?" she said softly. He turned, and his eyes lit up with surprise.

"Sarah? What are you doing here?" He ran to hug her, nearly knocking her over.

"I should ask you the same thing. Why are you living near the Bog of Eternal Stench?" She laughed, holding her nose.

"Because I am safe here--he won't come near the place."

"You mean Cormac, don't you?" She held him away from her.

"You know about him?" he said as he put his sprayer down.

"Jareth has told me all about it. That is why I am here. He needs my help to defeat Cormac. That is also why I came to see you. He needs your help as well." She waited for him to get in a huff, but surprisingly, he remained calm. When he spoke his voice was unusually quiet.

"I will help him if it means that I don't have to live in fear."

"Do you think Sir Didymus and Ludo will be as easy to convince?" she asked, and Hoggle winced.

"Jareth didn't tell you, then?"

"Tell me what?" Fear crept into her voice and her mind began to race. "Tell me what, Hoggle."

"The army got Sir Didymus a week ago, Sarah. He has been imprisoned in Cormac's fortress, he and Ambrosius both. Ludo is hiding with the Fireys far beneath the Labyrinth in the oubliettes."

A tear fell from Sarah's eye, and she quickly wiped it away. "Maybe he didn't know." she said. "You said Ludo was in the oubliettes?"

"Yes," Hoggle replied. "Why?"

"We may be too late," she said. Hold on to me." Hoggle took Sarah's hand and she thought of Ludo as hard as she could, but they remained at Hoggle's hut. She tried and tried, but she couldn't reach him. Beaten, she pictured Jareth, and they were transported back to the castle.

"It's too late, Sarah," he said as they appeared in the main room. "Listen." Far away they could hear Ludo calling, in pain, to the rocks that were his friends. "I am so sorry."

Sarah burst into tears, clinging to Hoggle for support. Hoggle saw Jareth's face go red, then white as he watched her.

"I told you this wouldn't be easy," he whispered, and hearing him, Hoggle wasn't sure if he meant the war with Cormac, or seeing Sarah cling to someone else for support. Watching Jareth walk away, he guessed the latter.


	4. A Prisoner

The gates of Cormac's fortress loomed before her--she and Hoggle had left Jareth only hours ago, using the crystal ball to imagine themselves at the edge of Cormac's domain. A quick hug and they parted ways, because being caught together could end everything before it had even begun. Her journey had been quick, and amazingly without incident. She had walked straight through the Dark Lands and right up to the fortress without seeing a single creature. The stillness was eerie, and it put Sarah on edge.

There were two goblin sentinels just inside the silver steel gates, and they opened them without comment as she approached. There was no fear , no fighting-- just an open invitation into the enemy's lair. It was almost too easy, and Sarah heightened her guard. One of the sentinels motioned for her to follow him, and started toward the castle. There were several goblins milling about in the small courtyard, seemingly happy, but she remembered what Jareth had said about their loyalty. Even so, the atmosphere was without fear, which was unexpected. There was no open torture, floggings, public humiliation, but perhaps she had made too many assumptions based on her reading background.

The castle door was heavy, black with silver hinges and handle, and inscribed with the words: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair! which Sarah recognized from Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias". After a bit of struggle, the goblin managed to push the door open, and gestured for Sarah to enter.

"Go straight to the end of the hall. He'll be waiting for you." Sarah nodded and walked inside.

The castle was dark, dimly lit by silver torches that hung in even spaces along the walls, which were black or dark gray, she couldn't quite tell. The tiles beneath her feet were of slate, cold and uninviting, and she shivered imagining how chilly they would be if she touched them. There were no screams echoing through the castle as she had expected--again all was quiet and seemingly calm. It was that which scared her more than anything. If there were bloodshed, pain, and torture going on all around her, it would have been more comforting than nothing. Nothing was all wrong--nothing made her think.

Approaching the end of the hall she saw him, standing before a great stone fireplace, his back to her. He was tall, broad shouldered, and cloaked in black and silver with the tiniest streaks of blue. She suddenly wanted to back away, to run back to Jareth, but her feet were as lead.

As if sensing her, he spoke. "I've been waiting for you." His voice was warm and rich, and if Sarah could have touched it she knew it would feel like velvet on her skin. He turned to face her, and she very nearly fell to her knees. Piercing blue eyes peered at her from a face like those she had only seen in marble. His black hair curled softly around his face, and his smile was filled with promises of dreams fulfilled. This man was her enemy.

"W-what do you mean?" she asked, stammering, and swore under her breath. She had already given him the upper hand.

He ignored the question. "Was your journey agreeable? I trust you met with no opposition on your way." He smiled again, and gestured to a chair before the fire. When she hesitated, he took her hand and led her there himself. She had wanted to recoil at his touch, but she couldn't. It felt natural, right--it felt as if he were intended to touch her for the rest of her life.

"No," she managed, "but that does not answer my question."

"Let us not talk of such things, Sarah. What does it matter that I knew you were coming?" He paused, caressing her cheek with his thumb. "I have been waiting for you to come since the day I began my siege of the Labyrinth."

"Please, don't touch me like that." She shouldn't have said 'please', and she knew it. This wasn't going to work. She couldn't handle it--she felt powerless against him.

"Do you not like me touching you, Sarah, or is it that you like it too much?" he asked, turning to face the fire, but he didn't wait for an answer. "I knew you were coming because I saw you crossing my domain. I ordered my guards to leave you in peace, and I watched to make sure my orders were obeyed. Does that please you?"

"How do you know who I am?" she asked, avoiding him.

"There isn't a soul in the Underground who doesn't know who you are, Sarah. You set us free. You, dear girl, are our queen." He turned to face her again, smiling. "Of course, you realize I meant by reputation only. There can be only one true ruler of the Underground, and I fully intend to be that man." He walked closer, and bent to whisper in her ear. "But you may be my queen if you desire."

Concentrating on Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus, Sarah gathered what resistance she had left, and smiled back at him. "That depends on what you are prepared to offer me, Cormac."

"The lady has spark," he said, laughing. "Perhaps that is a detail which we can discuss later. Right now I must go and tend to some business, but I welcome you to stay here in my castle."

"I would be honored," she lied, standing.

"I will have a servant show you to some satisfactory quarters, and perhaps we can discuss this over dinner." He bowed gracefully, his cloak sweeping the floor. "Until then, my lady," he said, and left Sarah alone in the room.

Presently a goblin came to her, and gestured toward the hallway. Sarah followed it down near the entrance, and then up a large flight of stairs to the second floor. He opened the first door on the right, and when she was inside, closed the door behind her. She quickly turned and saw that there was no door handle on the inside of the door, and unless she could suddenly summon the ability to fly, she was now a prisoner in Cormac's fortress.


	5. A Denial

Far away on the other side of the Labyrinth, Jareth watched Sarah frantically try to find a way out of the room that had become her prison. He had watched helplessly as Cormac had used his charms to woo her, and his anger grew as the minutes passed. He had known that Cormac would do all that he could to win the girl over, but he felt that he should have warned her better somehow, that he should have prepared her.

_But you did prepare her_, he thought, and smiled bitterly. _You prepared her by bringing her here in the first place_. Somehow he could almost forgive her the lack of trust she had in him. But, as much as he had tricked her, he knew that his intentions were more honorable than those of his enemy. In his own twisted way, he had wanted to love Sarah--Cormac merely wanted to use her for his own ends. Hopefully she would be able to see through him, or Jareth was finished. Hopefully.

For now all he could do was keep a close eye on Sarah, and try to keep faith that everything was going to work out. Cormac was powerful, he had seen proof. More powerful than Jareth had even thought, and it was a wonder that he had been able to be contained in the oubliettes. Of course, Jareth had a lot more than a few simple charms on those doors, and there were also the cleaners to contend with. Being sliced to ribbons by a large machine with great whirring claws and blades was not exactly what most people considered fun. Occasionally he had seen someone escape and try to run, but the cleaners had gotten to them first. It was a sight he could not easily forget.

As he thought about Sarah, he noticed Cormac appearing in her room. It was time to direct all his will onto her and hope that she felt enough of it to resist the other man's powerful charms.

Sarah ran around the room looking for a way out that didn't involve falling from a second story window. She still couldn't believe she was trapped here, even with the knowledge that Cormac would do anything it took to gain control of the Underground. She had started clawing at the door when it started to open. Cormac was there in the hallway, resplendent in black leather pants and boots, and a white shirt under a red velvet jacket. It looked much like an outfit Jareth had worn years ago.when he tried to make her his queen.

"Is the room acceptable, my lady?" he asked, his eyes sparkling as he bowed.

"Hell no, it isn't! Why doesn't my door have a handle on the inside?" She was angry, indignant. It excited him.

"What do you mean?" he asked, closing the door to reveal a handle where there once was none. Sarah gasped and ran over to it to inspect it closer.

"But…but there was no handle earlier! I swear it! Why else would I have been clawing at the door?"

"Perhaps you couldn't control your animal desire?" he said slyly, and Sarah blushed despite her anger.

"I swear to you, there was no door handle. And do not speak to me that way."

"Why not? Are you afraid it's true?' He smiled, narrowing his eyes, and reached out to touch her cheek. Again, he questioned her real motives, and for the first time she had a shred of doubt.

"No, I don't. I believe your words are attempts to make yourself look like more of a man in my presence. To inflate your ego. I am not afraid that I desire you." Even as she spoke the words she knew it was a lie. Cormac was handsome, intriguing, powerful.he was just as Jareth had been. She could not deny to herself that deep down, she did desire Cormac in some way, but she would not betray Jareth.

He laughed. "Sarah, you cannot hide from me. Don't think that I don't know what you're feeling. I can hear your thoughts, I can see your dreams. I swim in your blood as you swim in mine--we are one, and you know it."

She turned away from him. "How can you claim to know all about me, Cormac? I've been here what, a couple of hours? In the space of time that we have spoken, there is no way that you can know me."

"But I am with you always," he said, and it shook Sarah to the core.

"No," she whispered. "No!"

"Yes, Sarah. In your dreams, in your waking hours, I am there. Around every corner, behind every door, I wait for you." He walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I am with you always."

"Don't lie to me, you bastard," she said, wrenching away from him. "Don't you dare lie to me!"

"I would never lie, my lady. My queen," he added softly.

"I will never be your queen, Cormac. Never! I--" she started, but stopped suddenly. She didn't want to tell him that she loved Jareth. That would be a mistake. But then, if he was as close to her as he said, he probably already knew.

"That, dear Sarah, will change with time. I will have your supper brought to you," he said, and walked out, the door slamming behind him. Sarah looked up and saw no door handle. He had tricked her, and he would do it again. She walked over to the window and looked out across the Labyrinth to Jareth's castle, and the tiny seed of doubt Cormac had planted began to grow.

In his own castle, Jareth was in a rage of anger. "That bastard!" he cried to no one but himself. His voice echoed strangely, and he realized that for the first time, he was crying. He touched his cheek and when he pulled his fingers away, they were wet.

"Sarah," he whispered, and fell to the floor. "The war has only just begun."


	6. A Decision

Hoggle crept up toward Cormac's fortress, having avoided capture so far. He could see the walls that surrounded it, probably ten feet tall and made of slate. As he approached the menacing compound, he hoped that Sarah hadn't been captured, or worse yet, killed.

"Halt!" a voice boomed behind him, and he could feel the sharp tip of a spear in his right side. "What is your business here?" Hoggle slowly turned to see a large goblin, dressed in fine silver armor.

"I have come to join Lord Cormac's army, sir!" Hoggle said, snapping to what he thought was a pretty good show of attention.

"I see," the goblin said, lowering his spear a bit. "Very well. I shall march you to the castle. Forward, you!"

"Yes, sir!" Hoggle cried, and started marching toward the castle. He only hoped he wasn't marching to his doom. As they neared the walls, he noticed great gaps which looked as though they had been made by large rocks. Hoggle shuddered, remembering Ludo's howls of pain. What could they have been doing to the poor beast to make him cry out like that?

Once inside the gates, the guard led Hoggle to a small stone building adjacent to the castle. "In you go," the goblin said, and shoved Hoggle through the door.

"What's going on?" he asked, as he watched the guard close the door.

"We're going to determine your strength," was the reply. "If you can remain in there for three days with no food, water, or contact with the outside world, and still stand tall and proclaim your desire to join Lord Cormac's army, then we will grant you this wish. If you fail, we will place you in the prison."

"But that doesn't make sense!" Hoggle cried, and realized that he was already there. "Help me, Jareth," he said, wishing for the first time to see the Goblin King. "I have already failed you."

From her window Sarah watched Hoggle being marched into the gates. The guard was relaxed, his spear at his side, and Hoggle seemed calm, even happy as he walked past the castle. Surely he was doing much better than she was, locked away like a fairy tale princess awaiting her prince. Cormac had sent her bread, cheese, and a jug of water for her supper, but Sarah didn't trust it. She poured some of the water out of the window and threw some bread and cheese into the fire before sending it back through a slot in the door to a waiting servant.

The sun had started to set over the Labyrinth, and Sarah was feeling very tired. "He cant have charmed the bed," she thought, and laid back on the plush red coverlet. The pillows were soft and inviting, and she was quickly asleep.

"Where am I?"

Sarah found herself walking down a long, dark corridor. How had she escaped from that room? No matter--she was free! She kept walking and walking, eventually breaking into a run, but still the walls went on wit no end in sight. Remembering how the walls of the Labyrinth had seemed solid at first, Sarah began feeling along the smooth edges as she walked, but to no avail--these walls held no secrets.

Finally, in the distance, Sarah could make out a figure, who stood with his back to her. His spiked blond hair shone faintly in the soft light, and Sarah's heart leapt. Jareth! She began to run even faster, and reaching the figure, touched his shoulder.

"I've been looking for you," she said, a smile on her lips. The figure turned, and as he did, the blond hair darkened to a soft mass of black curls.

"How lovely to hear that, my lady," he said, taking her by the wrist.

"No!" Sarah cried, wrenching away from him. "Where is Jareth? What have you done with him?"

"I'm here, Sarah," a broken voice said, and following Cormac's gaze, she turned to see Jareth chained to the wall, the shackles too tight around his wrists causing them to bruise. He was stripped to the waist, and his flesh was laid open in stripes, starting on his chest and fanning out on his back. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth, and he looked as if her were in great pain. She ran to him and touched his chest, causing him to wince in pain, and he let out a tiny shuddering sigh.

"Jareth," she said softly, barely able to find her voice. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at the man, once so strong and fearsome, now shackled and broken. She was consumed with guilt and anger, and charged at Cormac, her fists flying as she screamed every obscenity she could think of. He stood there like a rock, absorbing every blow. Realizing the futility of her actions, Sarah crumpled in a heap before him. "Help him," she finally said. "Please. I'll do whatever I have to."

"Promise?" Cormac said, lifting her chin with his hand to look in her eyes.

"I promise," was her weak reply. Suddenly Jareth was gone, and Sarah was in a large, richly furnished room, the centerpiece a luxurious four poster bed. She felt a kiss on her neck, and breath in her ear as Cormac whispered, "And now I make you my queen." He picked her up and carried her toward the bed as she struggled, thrashing against him, getting tangled in the sheets as she screamed in protest.

Suddenly she jerked awake. Darkness lay over her like a blanket, and she took a deep breath. It had only been a dream, but it had been so real. She closed her eyes again and realized she could feel Jareth's power slipping away even as she lay there. What would the world be like when the Labyrinth lay in darkness? She didn't want to know.

Turning on her side to face the window, Sarah lay in wait for the dawn.

In the portrait room, Jareth was quickly coming to a decision. He would have to face Cormac, and soon. He could no longer see Sarah, or even feel her, and knew that Cormac's power had finally blocked her from him. His plans were in ashes at his feet, and it was time for him to make a stand.

"I've defeated him once," he said, "and I will defeat him again." He reached out and touched Sarah's painted face. "This time I will not be so merciful." Summoning every ounce of courage and power he had left, Jareth began his journey into the Dark Lands, not sure now if the sun was down, or if the skies had gone black. Either way, his prospects were grim.

"So you're finally coming to face me, old man," Cormac said, sitting on his throne with his eyes closed. "Very well. But it will not be easy. This I will not give up until I am dead." With these words he stilled the world, and gave Jareth free range into his territory.

"Until death, then."


	7. An Escape

**A/N: **Finally, another chapter! Sorry to have kept you waiting for so long--I found myself just as stuck after the last chapter as I was when I began writing this six years ago. Hopefully this has broken the block! Enjoy!

Beth :)

* * *

It had been hours since Jareth had set out into the Dark Lands, and to his surprise he had not met a single soul. The skies were fading from black to a lighter grimy gray, giving him some light with which to see. The hardest part about his journey to that point had been the climbing, especially in the darkness. He could see a short distance in the dark, but not enough to keep him from tripping over logs, rocks, or bumping into trees. At one point he had fallen in a stream, the sound of its slow trickling somehow silenced by the everlasting night. He was dirty, he was ragged, and he was growing weary. He had to retain some amount of his strength for his approach to the castle, but at this point it was looking very grim.

As he made it to the top of another large hill, he decided to take a moment to rest. It was probably not the best place to stop, as it was a large open area, but it had the advantage of providing him with a wide view of the territory he had yet to cover. No one could attack him at this point and go unnoticed, so it was with little hesitation that he rather gracelessly fell on a large rock. He could see Cormac's fortress looming in the distance, black smoke rising in curls around it from the ruined land. It was only a matter of time before he arrived at that forsaken place, and he had yet to formulate a plan. It was as if he were walking into battle without a weapon, and without one he would surely lose.

His thoughts strayed to his beloved Sarah, wondering what indignities she had suffered at the hands of this pretender, this man who claimed rights that were not his own. Had he beaten her, imprisoned her, violated her…or, almost worse, had he won her? She had a strong will, but someone like Cormac could appeal to her in the very basest of ways. It was tearing him up inside that he could no longer see her, speak to her. Jareth hoped she knew how much she meant to him, even after all they had been through, that this might be enough to keep her from Cormac's clutches.

He did not expect to keep her once this was over, if it was ever over. He had learned only too well from the last time that she was not someone to be ruled. If she would stay this time, it would be of her own free will, and not by force. Jareth understood now that he had made the wrong choice, that he had been too demanding. He had watched her for so long, wanted her and waited for her for so long that he could not control his own desires and would have her at any price. The thought of rejection had never crossed his mind--they always succumbed so easily. Her will, that was what had made her different. With her rejection, all of the stage dressing collapsed--his vanity, his pride, his dignity…his power. Now here they were, she kept in an inpenetrable fortress by a power-crazed madman, and he stripped of everything but his love for her, in one last desperate bid to regain his kingdom, and his queen.

Thunder or cannon fire rumbled in the distance, he wasn't sure which, and he quickly rose to his feet again. He had only an army of himself, but he would fight with all he had for her, for Sarah, no matter the outcome, even until death if that was what it took.

* * *

Sarah heard the cannon fire from her chambers--it had startled her awake. Was Cormac planning on Jareth raising an army? As far as she knew, the only soldiers he might have had were already prisoners of war. More likely it was a show of force--Cormac was arrogant to a fault, he would want Jareth to know just what kind of power he held to his advantage. He had likely drawn upon the old Goblin cannons and weaponry to build his own weapons--there were no other sources of material available as far as Sarah knew. This gave her some hope, as the Goblins' weapons had always been somewhat substandard, but it wasn't the thought of Jareth facing a firestorm that worried her. His weapon of choice had always been mental, and Cormac knew it. She had already seen the power that Cormac's mind held, the psychological fortifications built by years of torment and anguish and firmly resolved hatred in the oubliettes. If Jareth was the teacher, Cormac had more than excelled as his pupil.

Sarah rose quietly and crept to the window to see the scene below. Cormac was in the courtyard surrounded by a large group of goblins, each one outfitted in black armor. Even the goblins seemed darker, more twisted. Could it be that Cormac's own self was distorting them, transforming them from mischievous creatures to darklings? They rallied around him, cheering and raising their pikes at each word he said. It was a frightening sight, more disturbing than the attack she had found herself under when she had approached the Goblin City. Then, the goblins were bumbling, dim-witted creatures--now they seemed alert, vicious.

A rattling noise came at the door and Sarah leapt back into her bed, for some reason not wanting to be caught. Whoever was on the other side was scratching clumsily at the outside, muttering curses in an unfamiliar voice, and Sarah could feel her heart racing, her breath caught in her throat. She clutched the bedcovers around her, covering her face, and wished someone, even Cormac, was there to protect her from whoever was on the other side. The door creaked open and Sarah screamed.

"Hush, you stupid girl! Do you want the whole world to hear?" Sarah pulled the covers down a fraction and saw the old junk lady standing in her doorway, her burden lighter by several pots and pans.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Sarah whispered, climbing out of the bed.

"I'm here to get you out of this place while the master is busy playing with his toys. Here, take these and change into them, quickly now." The woman threw a bundle of dirty clothes at her. Inwardly she turned her nose up in disgust, but she was so grateful for the chance to leave this wretched place she would have worn rags strewn in filth if she had to. The old woman turned her back while Sarah quickly changed, then beckoned her to follow.

They crept silently and stealthily down the hall, this odd pair, and halfway down, the woman disappeared behind a tapestry. Sarah followed suit, knowing nothing in this world was ever as it seemed, and found herself being led into a tunnel. The woman lit a small torch she had been carrying in her pack and led Sarah onward. It seemed that they walked down and down for miles, and Sarah's legs quickly grew tired from her lack of exercise these past days.

"Come on girl, not much farther now," the old woman said, sensing her fatigue. Sarah nodded, forcing herself to continue. The farther away she got from Cormac, the harder it would be for him to find her once he realized she was gone.

After what seemed like an eternity, they finally approached the end of the tunnel. Sarah could see the light, what there was of it anyway, and her heart rejoiced. They came out at the bottom of a large hill, and Cormac's fortress was nowhere in sight. The skies were still dark where they were, but the stillness didn't have the same eerie quality.

Sarah hoped for a moment's respite, but the old woman beckoned her on. "We still have some ways to go yet, my girl, but fear not. You will be glad once we arrive."

"I'm already glad now," Sarah said as she followed the woman onward. _Anywhere away from him,_ she thought to herself. In the distance, another cannon shot sounded.


End file.
